Ted Cruz ripped Barack Obama after he defended Colin Kaepernick’s decision to “exercise his constitutional right” and sit during the national anthem.

(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“It’s sad when you see rich spoiled athletes who don’t realize what an incredible blessing this country is,” the former presidential candidate told a TMZ photographer Tuesday. “It’s very easy when you’re sitting there, rolling in millions of dollars, to disrespect this country.”

“I gotta say, I was disappointed to see President Obama stand with Kaepernick and say, ‘That’s right. Disrespect the flag.’ That’s not the job of the president. The president should be standing up for America and the president should be encouraging every American to honor the flag that so many have bled and died for and to honor the freedom that it stands for.”